BioCare will build a cross-border network of expertise in identifiying and utilising marine biomolecules, found in the 2 Seas area, for the benefit of its inhabitants' health and the environment in which they live. BioCare will gather together partners from universities, research centres and the Private sector. This network will implement research and development activities and develop new products using our regional marine resources. BioCare's objectives are to identify, isolate and collect marine biomolecules of medical interest or those that can be applicable in pollution reduction processes. The identified applications concern human dermal tissue regeneration (treatment of chronic wounds, reconstruction of burn injuries…) or metal capture-systems applied to biomedicine in the detoxification of blood and tissues. It will also concern the sector of bioremediation of polluted environs such as post-industrial sites and ground-waters.Through the identification of 2 Seas region-specific biomolecules, with a commercial potential, the BioCare project will generate a sustainable approach to this cross-border research, offering an economic imperative to protect the marine environment. Expected Results: What are the key results of the project?Activity 1: Putative antimicrobial agent isolation and testing- Novel antimicrobial agents of marine origin identified and characterised from a bank of bacterial and algal extracts- Completion of efficacy tests on at least 5 existing marine antimicrobials against 3 standard bacterial strains- Determination of the concentration exponents of selected antimicrobials- Data obtained for the quantification of the release kinetics of selected antimicrobials from standard and marine biomaterialsActivity 2: Fabrication of wound dressings and tissue regeneration scaffolds- two prototype wound dressings made of marine polymers (containing either an antimicrobial agent of marine origin or a conventional agent)- one prototype dermal regeneration scaffold of marine origin with a homogenous, macroporous morphology for optimal cellular infiltration and biocompatibility (and negligible risk of disease transmission)Activity 3: Development of heavy metal capture technology- A bank of characterised bacterial polysaccharides with high binding affinities for target heavy metals- Macroporous cryogels containing these polysaccharides for metal capture from liquids- A selection of secondary coated polysaccharide cryogels with enhanced surface areas for optimal target-receptor contact for bindingAre all partners and territories benefitting from the results?The immediate beneficiaries will be the consortium members and regional industry: including the biotechnology, fisheries, and pharmaceutical sectors. The regional universities and other academic institutes also stand to benefit through the opening of new areas of basic and applied research, based on the use of the region-specific marine resources. Each partner will benefit through exchange of knowledge with the others and by sharing of best practice, in particular by exchange of expertise related to our work activities. The local authorities and water utilities are target groups that will benefit from any advances in technologies for the bioremediation of pollutants developed in the project. Local healthcare providers will gain from advances in wound care management e.g. the acquisition of new antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of nosocomially-acquired infections (to replace those antimicrobial agents that the microbial community has acquired resistance to) or for the maintenance of ward hygiene, wound dressings improvements for the treatment of chronic ulcers and safer (and cheaper) tissue regeneration matrices.The final beneficiary will be the local population. They will benefit from: an improved local economy through realisation of the potential for innovation and industry in a marine context, steps towards a cleaner environment based on advances in wastewater bioremediation technology (and potentially by improved legislation to protect the marine resources identified by Biocare), improved healthcare through more effective biomaterials for wound care, tissue regeneration technology, and antisepsis.What are the effects / outcomes for the territories involved?The region will benefit from our cross-border activities by strengthening local expertise and competitiveness in development and commercialisation of marine-sourced products. Each partner, and region, will benefit from the knowledge transferred by the other members of the consortium. Notably, there are few SMEs engaged with marine research in the 2 Seas region, with the commercial expertise held within Channel (France). The inclusion of a partner from the 2 Seas region, with its expertise in polymer chemistry, adds significantly to the project. Such knowledge will be vital for the advanced functionalisation of marine products. The 2 Seas region will benefit through added-value from the contribution of the partners of the Channel region i.e. marine research excellence and specialised facilities, marine product development know-how, and pharmaceutical and biomaterials expertise. All regions and stakeholders will share in the environmental and healthcare benefits envisaged.